Is prevention better than cure?

1:18 December 19, 2012

Dr Kasper Janssen

Dr Kasper Janssen, a sports physician researcher with the VU Medical Centre in Amsterdam, is spending several weeks at the Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP) investigating ways to combine leading research into injury prevention with clinical practice.

Dr Janssen said he had been keen to work with the Director of ACRISP, Professor Caroline Finch.

“Professor Finch is an internationally recognised expert on the implementation of injury prevention initiatives, particularly with respect to preventing personal injuries in sport. Combining her knowledge with some of the research in the Netherlands on how to best prevent ankle injuries will help me to achieve my goal of making sport safer for all participants,” Dr Janssen said.

Dr Janssen is completing his PhD and researching the prevention of ankle sprains.

“Ankle sprains are the most common injury in sports and are very debilitating for participants. We in the Netherlands have investigated some excellent strategies for prevention, rehabilitation and cure, but when it comes to implementation of strategies to prevent injuries, ACRISP is definitely leading the way.”

Dr Janssen will continue to draw on the expertise of various ACRISP researchers for the remainder of his visit.

“Professor Finch’s guidance is invaluable, as is her knowledge and experience on how to obtain the most in-depth results from the data,” Dr Janssen said.

ACRISP’s Dr Alex Donaldson is one of the top researchers into the effectiveness of distributing information to athletes and participants on the ground.

“Looking at what Dr Donaldson has achieved in the football setting gives me further ideas to implement back in the Netherlands,” Dr Janssen said.

“Already my colleague, Associate Professor Evert Verhagen, has developed an app for the iPhone to encourage sports people strengthen their ankles to reduce the risk of injury. I am sure we will be able to do much more in the future.”

Professor Finch said the collaboration between Monash and the VU Medical Centre would benefit all parties.

“Having had Dr Janssen with us at ACRISP provided the research team with new opportunities to study some of the injury prevention strategies being employed overseas,” Professor Finch said.

“It is particularly beneficial for some of our PhD candidates, working in similar areas, to make contact with international researchers and build friendships.”

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